US special envoy holds talks in Pakistan in his 1st visit

The US special regional envoy Friday held talks here with senior Pakistani officials "to continue discussions regarding how the United States and Pakistan can work together to identify our shared interests and act on them jointly," the US embassy statement said. It is the first visit to Islamabad by the US Senior Deputy Special Representative David Pearce which "builds on the many recent US -Pakistan bilateral engagements," the U.S. embassy said. Ambassador Pearce replaced Marc Grossman, who announced late last month to step down after leading the American diplomatic campaign in the volatile region for two years. "I am delighted to be in Pakistan," the U.S. embassy statement quoted Ambassador Pearce as saying. Officials sources said that both sides also discussed Afghanistan, with special focus on joint efforts for the peace and reconciliation in the neighboring country. The visit took places few weeks after Pakistan released 13 Afghan Taliban figures in a move to push the peace process in Afghanistan. He referred to several Pakistan-U.S. significant high-level meetings over the last few months and said both sides have made real progress on issues critical to the interests of both of our nations. The recent meetings included talks between Secretary Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Khar in Washington and Brussels, the Economics and Finance Working Group, the Defense Consultative Group, and the Energy Working Group, "I am meeting with officials in Islamabad today to continue this process," the U.S. envoy said. Ambassador Pearce said he expected the United States and Pakistan will continue these engagements in the weeks and months ahead.